In in the present day’s fast-paced digital panorama, firms are more and more recognizing the transformative potential of synthetic intelligence (AI). 92% of firms plan to extend their AI investments over the subsequent three years.1 And people investments are paying off. For each greenback invested in generative synthetic intelligence (GenAI), some firms have realized a powerful 3.7x return on funding.2 To totally capitalize on these advantages, organizations should change into AI-ready. Learn on to discover what it means to be AI-ready, see the place what you are promoting is on the AI readiness journey and what infrastructure necessities you’ll want for AI success.
AI Readiness: Constructing the Basis
AI readiness is the state of a company being totally geared up to strategically plan, undertake, combine and harness the facility of AI applied sciences. Because of this the enterprise has the aptitude to embed AI into the nucleus of its operations. To be actually AI-ready, companies should lay the proper basis to totally leverage AI capabilities in all elements of the enterprise, together with IT stacks and networks, compliance, DevOps, organizational tradition, information administration, community and information safety, and different very important processes and methods.
The Significance of Scalable Community Structure for AI
AI initiatives require huge quantities of information to coach fashions. To move that information throughout your community, you want high-bandwidth and low-latency connectivity that’s safe and dependable. The AI revolution is dynamic and quickly remodeling, so in the present day’s infrastructure received’t essentially work for what you are promoting tomorrow.
Along with AI, many companies are implementing superior functions akin to IoT, robotics, ML and large information analytics, whereas adopting hybrid, multi-cloud infrastructures, edge cloud computing and information facilities. Scalable community structure offering virtualized high-speed connectivity that adjusts capability based mostly on demand is crucial to assist and simplify administration of a number of digital necessities.
Solely after modernizing their networks and infrastructure can companies totally implement AI functions and fashions—and begin experiencing advantages akin to enterprise optimization, price financial savings, efficiency enhancements and enhanced buyer experiences.
The Journey to AI Readiness
The trail to AI readiness can take many varieties, however Lumen has discovered that the majority organizations will be categorized into one among three teams—Pre-AI, AI Shopper or AI Builder—relying on their degree of AI implementation and method to utilizing AI.
Pre-AI: Not totally digital
Pre-AI describes the section earlier than a company has taken any steps to integrating AI into their operations. Whereas they might have made progress in direction of enhancing their IT infrastructure to be digitally prepared, they haven’t applied AI of their methods and processes.
These companies sometimes depend on guide processes for information evaluation utilizing standard information administration and legacy methods not designed for AI. Attributable to older methods and guide processes, this stage will be characterised by increased operational prices, slower market responsiveness and potential information inefficiencies or safety dangers as a result of absence of AI-driven automation and insights.
AI Shopper: Reliant on AI apps
Organizations that use third-party AI functions to reinforce their operations, enhance decision-making and drive innovation are categorized as AI Shoppers. These enterprises depend on AI functions developed by others for modernizing their firms, slightly than growing AI applied sciences themselves. To be thought-about an AI Shopper group, an enterprise must be utilizing AI in a minimum of one occasion. Companies on this class have various levels of AI readiness.
AI Builder: Forward of the curve
An enterprise that builds AI methods and fashions to unravel advanced issues and drive innovation throughout the firm or to resell to its clients is taken into account an AI Builder. These companies are sometimes additional alongside of their AI readiness and digital transformation journey and should require probably the most sturdy IT infrastructure to assist their very own AI calls for and people of their clients.
Motivations and Challenges in AI Innovation
A number of components drive AI funding for every organizational kind, together with the necessity for aggressive differentiation, typically triggered by observing competitor success through automated, data-driven methods. Corporations additionally search enhancements to worker productiveness, operational effectivity and buyer expertise, which is a typical beginning place for AI innovation for a lot of firms. AI Shopper and AI Builder organizations can also lean in on AI-driven advertising methods and workflow automation for elevated differentiation. AI Builders are additionally innovating to carry AI options to their clients in response to market alternatives.
Nevertheless, organizations simply beginning their AI journey, akin to these within the Pre-AI stage, can battle with a lack of information about AI implementations and design infrastructure to assist a extra digitally superior group. With some AI expertise and strategic companions to supply knowledgeable recommendation, AI Shoppers and AI Builders could battle much less with lack of information and schooling, however fragmented legacy methods and information silos can delay IT modernization and AI efforts. AI progress can be sluggish resulting from perceived complexity and prices, the absence of a proper AI governance technique and inadequate worker coaching.
Fixing AI challenges with Lumen
The Lumen Community is designed to be AI-ready, offering seamless, safe and scalable connectivity throughout cloud, edge and information facilities. Our high-performance spine and agile networking portfolio simplify vendor complexity, supporting the superior wants of AI-driven enterprises. By leveraging our ultra-low loss intercity fiber community, what you are promoting beneficial properties non-public and safe connectivity with enhanced cybersecurity safety. This not solely minimizes operational prices and mitigates dangers however may assist increase your ROI. Moreover, our direct interconnects to main cloud suppliers and intensive networking experience allow us to effectively assist your evolving enterprise wants.
Empowering what you are promoting begins with:
- Sturdy community spine: Our 340,000 route miles of fiber community ship safe, high-capacity connectivity throughout cloud, information facilities and edge environments. With 2,200+ on-net third-party information facilities and peering in 90 metro areas, what you are promoting stays linked, aggressive and ready for the long run.
- Scalability and agility: We ship 100G and 400G transport throughout 78,000+ route miles and join companies to 200+ information facilities, offering direct, high-speed entry to main cloud suppliers akin to AWS, Azure and Google Cloud.
- A trusted AI companion: We’re greater than a community supplier. We work alongside what you are promoting to design, optimize and advance your connectivity methods to assist AI, cloud and next-generation functions. With knowledgeable steerage, deep business information and hands-on assist, we assist to simplify multi-cloud integration, non-public and public networking, and AI-driven transformation. Our 100+ cloud on-ramps and operation of the #1 peered community with actionable menace intelligence through Black Lotus Labs® allow you to scale with confidence.
Each group’s path to AI readiness shall be distinctive. Whether or not you’re simply beginning to discover AI or are already integrating it into your methods and customer-facing functions, adaptability and openness to vary are the keys to success. By modernizing your IT infrastructure and embracing new applied sciences, you take the primary essential steps towards maximizing AI’s potential and thriving in in the present day’s digital panorama.
Unlock the total potential of AI with a contemporary community. Learn the report, AI Readiness: Shaping the Way forward for Enterprise IT, to study extra.
1McKinsey, Superagency within the office: Empowering individuals to unlock AI’s full potential, January 2025.
2Microsoft, Microsoft clients share influence of generative AI, November 2024.
This content material is supplied for informational functions solely and should require extra analysis and substantiation by the top person. As well as, the knowledge is supplied “as is” with none guarantee or situation of any sort, both categorical or implied. Use of this data is on the finish person’s personal threat. Lumen doesn’t warrant that the knowledge will meet the top person’s necessities or that the implementation or utilization of this data will outcome within the desired end result of the top person. All third-party firm and services or products names referenced on this article are for identification functions solely and don’t suggest endorsement or affiliation with Lumen. This doc represents Lumen merchandise and choices as of the date of challenge. Providers not obtainable in all places. Lumen could change or cancel services or substitute comparable services at its sole discretion with out discover. ©2025 Lumen Applied sciences. All Rights Reserved.
Put up Views: 1
